This invention relates in general to water resistant enclosures and in particular to a water and mildew resistant cover for overlaying the golf club compartment of a golf cart to protect the golf bags, clubs and grips from inclement weather conditions such as rain while allowing players easy access to their respective clubs during play.
Playing golf is a challenging endeavor for many amateur players. One factor that can make the game even more challenging is playing in inclement weather conditions, especially rain, because the grips on a golf club and when wet make it more difficult to grip the club when making a shot. Another disadvantage of playing in the rain is that a player""s golf bag and clubs may get drenched during the round. If the clubs and bag aren""t properly dried and taken care of after that round then mold or mildew may form in the bag and the steel shafts and heads of the clubs may become rusty. Protecting them from rain can eliminate or reduce the amount of time a player must spend after a round taking care of their equipment.
Many private golf clubs provide its members and guests with golf carts that include heavy duty covers attached to the golf carts for protecting the players"" golf clubs, grips and bags. However, for the more typical amateur playing public or semi-private golf courses such protective covers are not always provided by the course. In such cases, it would be advantageous to provide a lightweight, water repellent cover that any player could carry in their bag and quickly attach to a golf cart in the event of rain, for example, to protect their equipment. It would also be advantageous to provide the cover in a convenient carrying pouch so that the player can quickly remove it from the pouch for attaching to a golf cart, fold the cover after use, insert it into the pouch and place it back in his bag.
An apparatus that may be removably attached to a golf cart for covering a bag storage area of the golf cart to protect golf bags and clubs from inclement weather is provided that may include a top panel sized to cover the bag storage area and means for releasably coupling the top panel to the golf cart. The apparatus may include a first side panel and a second side panel each having a respective upper edge wherein a first segment of each respective upper edge is connected to a corresponding respective edge of the top panel so that the side panels hang downwardly when the top panel is coupled to the golf cart. Means for releasably coupling the first side panel and the second side panel to the golf cart may be provided. A back panel having a rear upper edge and a pair of lateral edges may be provided where the back panel is positioned between the first side panel and the second side panel. The back panel may be connected along a portion of each lateral edge to a respective portion of the first side panel and the second side panel and a portion of the rear upper edge may be connected to the top panel so that when the protective cover is attached to the golf cart it encases the bag storage area. Means for releasably coupling the top panel to at least one of the first and second side panels and/or the back panel may be provided so that a portion of the top panel may be lifted to define an opening for accessing the bag storage area of the golf cart. In one exemplary embodiment each rearward corner of the top panel may be lifted to define respective openings through which a set of respective golf clubs and/or golf bags may extend for easy access by a player. The respective corners may include a hook and loop strip, for example, a xe2x80x9cVELCROxe2x80x9d strip, that releasably couples the top panel to respective mating strips on the side panels.